


Braiding in the Moonlight

by EquusGirl (EquusGirl0621)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alderaan, Alderaanian Braiding Traditions, Angst, F/M, Hair Braiding, If You Squint - Freeform, Internal Monologue, Mentioned Chewbacca (Star Wars), Mission Fic, POV Han Solo, Post-Star Wars: A New Hope, Pre-Relationship, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25958269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EquusGirl0621/pseuds/EquusGirl
Summary: While on a mission, Han watches Leia put her braids back in and wonders why this is so much more important than sleeping.Set a few months after ANH.
Relationships: Leia Organa/Han Solo
Comments: 13
Kudos: 40
Collections: Space Cafe - Short and Sweet Shots





	Braiding in the Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Space Cafe’s 500 word ficlet event for the prompt _midnight_.
> 
> I’ve noticed I tend to write dialogue heavy scenes and so I wanted to challenge myself to write more fics without dialogue.

It was just past midnight galactic standard time and everyone else in their camp was fast asleep, save the Princess. Han opened his mouth to tease her, try to tell her to get some damn sleep while she could. But something stopped him. 

She was braiding her hair, putting it back into the neat little braids she’d adopted since the battle of Yavin; uniquely different from the twisted buns she’d worn on the Death Star. 

He watched as her fingers moved through her hair, the light of two moons washing out the normally rich brown. Her arms were raised at awkward angles as she worked, twisting this way and that. Combined with her head bowed, it all looked vaguely uncomfortable. And what for? She was just going to go to sleep. 

Or at least she _ought_ to. Whether she would, remained to be seen. 

Leia let out a frustrated sigh, running her fingers over a braid she’d just completed. But apparently it wasn’t up to her standards as she began pulling it out, fingers jerking in a way that didn’t resemble anything gentle. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she bit down on her lower lip, her chin quivering. 

Han looked away, suddenly feeling like he was witness to something he shouldn’t be seeing. Something private and personal and far too intimate. 

But why? It was just hair. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, looking out at the mountainous landscape. But it wasn’t just hair was it? Not to Leia at least. Even Chewie seemed to know, always mussing everyone’s hair with his Wookiee head rubs—his first mate's way of showing affection. But not with Leia. 

The realization hit him like a freighter; he’d never seen Chewie touch her hair. He’d never seen her without her braids or her hair down. Clearly, hair wasn’t just hair and braids weren’t just braids. Not to Leia. 

And Chewie seemed to know to respect that, never touching her hair. Somehow, he knew.

Han glanced back to Leia, where she was running her fingers over her braids, adjusting them intermittently before she finally raised her head and dropped her hands. She took another deep breath, her shoulders dropping as she seemed to relax ever so slightly. 

Yes, the braids definitely meant something and as Han turned back to surveying their surroundings, he made a mental note to ask Chewie about it later.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little ficlet; I do so enjoy exploring the time period between ANH and ESB. If you _really_ enjoyed this work, I’d love it if you left a comment telling me what you love about it 🖤
> 
> Feel free to drop into my inbox if you wanna yell about Star Wars with me!


End file.
